Govt can't shift burden of its bureaucratic inefficiency onto court, remarks SC judge

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Friday dismissed a delayed appeal filed by the federal government in a case concerning employees of the Ministry of Finance, ruling that bureaucratic inefficiency cannot justify non-compliance with statutory deadlines.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, in a four-page written judgment authored by Ayesha A Malik, the court rejected the government’s request for condonation of delay and declared the appeal time-barred.

The judgment emphasised that the government is entitled to no special treatment in court and must follow the same legal standards as any ordinary citizen.

“The state is not a unique litigant,” the ruling stated, adding that it must abide by the law in the same manner as the public it governs.

The court observed that while the state expects citizens to strictly adhere to the law, it cannot cite administrative hurdles or internal procedural issues to excuse its own lapses.

Government offices, the court held, cannot place internal rules or administrative difficulties above statutory time limits.

According to the judgment, the federal government attributed the delay in filing the appeal to the transfer of an officer.

The court, however, held that shortages of officials or failure to convene committee meetings fall squarely within the government’s own domain and cannot be used as grounds to seek judicial indulgence.

“The state cannot shift the burden of its inefficiency onto the court,” the ruling said, stressing that compliance with the law must be guided by discipline rather than the convenience of officials.

The court reiterated that the other party cannot be penalised for bureaucratic sluggishness.

The federal government had filed its appeal 20 days after the expiry of the prescribed 60-day limitation period.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori